If Wishes Were Fishes
by Oldest Man
Summary: A cautionary tale with a wee bit o' the twist to it.


Just something that came over me. The legend is at the end with the author's notes.

OM

* * *

><p><span>If Wishes Were Fishes<span> – By Oldest Man

Kate Beckett sat at her dining room table trying figure out how to pay all her bills and have enough money left over to buy ONE lousy stick of chewing gum.

She glanced over at the ridiculously expensive ceramic fish with scales of gold leaf. It had been a gag gift from Castle some time ago and she'd forgotten the circumstances but it had been hilarious at the time. Castle told her it was a 'Wish Fish'.

Now it sat there silently mocking her. She could have been Mrs. Castle or Detective Beckett-Castle but noooooooo, she had to take the moral high ground and ignore everything he meant to her and push him away. As far as she knew, he was still moving away from her, this time to Prince Edward Island in Canada to do research on a new book.

"I wish I had a million bucks. Life would be so much better," she muttered, stroking the fish scales with her index finger. "Might as well go to bed. I won't have any more money to pay bills tomorrow than I do today."

* * *

><p>12th Precinct<br>7:30am

Kate walked off the elevator and dumped her bag and coat on Castle's chair and walked into the break room for some of Castle's coffee. The boys and Captain Gates were standing around looking solemn and Lanie was softly crying into Esposito's shirt.

"What's wrong? Someone die or something?"

"You don't read the newspapers or watch the morning news, Detective?" 'Iron'Gates looked at her disapprovingly.

"No. I was running late and – what?" She got a cold feeling in the bottom of her stomach. Just then a voice from the bullpen inquired about the location of Detective Katherine Beckett.

"That's me." The man walked over to her and her first impression was of a mortician in need of embalming. He was thin and dressed in a cheap black suit with a white shirt and a black tie that had a splotch of his morning egg on it.

"I'm from Dewey, Suem & Howe, attorneys for the Estate of Richard Castle. May I see some identification please?" His voice was sonorous and seemed to have a faint echo. Mindlessly, she flipped open her badge displaying her ID.

"Here. My task is complete. Have a nice day." He handed her an envelope and departed.

"Who was that, Kate? He looked like he belonged down on one of my tables." Lanie looked over her friend's shoulder and gasped.

"Some attorney representing the Estate of Richard – " She fainted when she opened the envelope and saw a Cashier's Check for $1 Million Bucks.

Richard Castle was dead.

* * *

><p>Beckett's Apartment<p>

Kate had almost cried herself to sleep when Lanie started bawling again and woke her up.

Castle's body was in the local funeral home and they'd braved the paparazzi to pay their last respects. The coffin bore a tag that read 'Remains Non-Viewable' and a large wreath of white roses covered it.

No one seemed to know how he died except that it was a horrible death and no one, not even the undertaker, could look at the body without screaming.

"Gosh, Lanie, I wish Castle was right here, right now. I miss him, Lanie. He loved me and I pushed him away."

"Kate, it's gonna be all right, you'll see. You'll be able to pull in another fish like Josh only this time, girlfriend, make sure you seal the deal, okay?"

Just then there was a horrible moaning and groaning sound from outside her door and then someone was pounding on the door moaning "Kaaaaate! Kaaaaaaaate".

Kate rushed to the door and Lanie screamed "Don't open it. I seen the movie. They be zombies out theah!"

Kate looked at her like she was nuts and started opening the door but thought better of it. "Kaaaaaate! Kaaaaate! Kaaaaate!" was all she heard and it made it hard to concentrate. Whatever was out there wanted in and she was suddenly very afraid.

She fired her pistol through the door and the groaning and moaning and 'Kaaaaaaaaaaaate!" finally stopped. She stood up on her toes and looked out the peephole and saw the face of – "

"Oh, God, I wish it would just go away! Please, I wish it would just go away."

And it did.

* * *

><p>She woke up and shook herself. It was just a dream. Just a horrible dream.<p>

Kate grabbed her cell phone and hit speed dial #1 and waited and waited while it rang and went to voicemail. She dialed again and finally the voice she loved and thought she'd lost forever answered with a "Hello. I hope you know what time it is, Beckett. Jesus, Detective, it's 2AM!"

"I love you, too, Castle. Get dressed, Rick. Wait! On second thought, don't get dressed. I'm coming over."

* * *

><p>AN: An Irish fisherman was pulling in his nets and he caught a beautiful golden carp. He was poor and he figured someone would pay a great deal for something this rare. He picked it up and was about to throw it into the tank when it spoke to him.

"Release me back to the waters of the Bay and I'll grant ye three wishes."

The Irishman knew that strange things were known to about on foggy nights such as this and being a cautious and superstitious man, he released the fish and returned to his home wishing he had an extra 10 pounds to spend on his wife and son, it being the Christmas season and all.

When he arrived home, his wife was crying her eyes out and handed him a 10 Pound note. "Our Jamie's been killed in a cave-in at the colliery, Paddy. Me boy is with the Saints and all we have to show for it is 10 Pounds death settlement from the owners.

The fisherman threw down his cap and cursed the mines and the owners. "I wish I had me son back. I'd keep him on the boat and he wouldna be crushed in the earth."

There was a terrible moaning at the door and the stench of death came through it and the man hugged his wife and said, 'begone, ye foul spirit. I wish thee to be gone".

And it was.

Be careful what you wish for.

OM


End file.
